Tyrell sits down with John R. Erickson, author of the beloved Hank the Cowdog book series, for a meandering and insightful conversation about the animals we live and work with, recovering after wildfires and educating the public about livestock agriculture. 

Mine is a horse-poor outfit. I’m aware that the term “horse-poor” is subject to interpretation, and I’ve seen it thrown around and used in a variety of ways in the ranching world.

We all know the basics to ensure safer trailering for our horses such as brake early, take turns slow, etc., but what are some of the more minute aspects that are in need of our consideration?

Horses have been an integral part of livestock production since they were first imported with cattle by the Spanish in the early 1500s. While some modern ranches have transitioned to the use of “motorized horses” – all-terrain and utility-task vehicles (ATVs, UTVs) and dirt bikes – others continue the legacy of gathering, sorting, doctoring, branding and moving cattle by horseback.

We are in the market for a new horse – a new horse for a just-turned-8-year-old girl. An outsider, one somewhat unfamiliar with our world, might believe that this horse is her first horse, her beginner horse, you might say. If one believes that, one would be wrong.

Have you ever noticed in ranching that there’s “flow” and “no flow”? The days things click into place are great. Items on the to-do list get crossed off, and people and animals are happy.

Everything – soil health, pasture productivity, the symbiotic relationship between grass and cattle – is interrelated. When trying to fit this all together, Riley and Jimmie Kammerer became part of something much bigger. Something good.